It Happened one Midnight
by iloveromance
Summary: In the middle of a bleak winter night, Niles receives a visit from Daphne who asks him for advice about a subject that he wants so much to avoid; her impending marriage to Donny. Written for DustinW522 with many thanks.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This story is written for & dedicated to DustinW522 who suggested that I write this ages ago. I'd like to thank him for his many suggestions & for his patience. I hope that he (and you, my readers) enjoy reading it! **_

It was the knock on the door that awakened him from a sound sleep. He ignored it at first, hoping that whomever had chosen to disturb his slumber would eventually go away. After a few moments he returned his head to his pillow and closed his eyes, only to be awakened once more by the sound of even louder knocking.

He sat up and swung his feet to the floor, grateful that his slippers were there waiting for him. In the darkness, his hand moved across the bed until he felt the familiar silk fabric of his robe and he slid it around his shoulders, cinching it tightly at the waist.

The stream of light provided a pathway to the door and he was grateful that he had chosen to keep the bathroom light illuminated. Perhaps it was childish to do so, since he hardly needed a nightlight in order to sleep, but now it proved to be a savior in guiding him out of his room safely. He was, after all, still very much asleep, even as he moved about his bedroom.

The knocking continued, reminding him suddenly of why he was out of bed in the first place and he couldn't help the irritation that consumed him.

"Always at the worst times of night." He muttered, as though the visitor (or intruder) could hear him. But he knew that he was only talking to himself. Still, it seemed to calm his frazzled nerves, if only for a moment.

He did that a lot; talked to himself. He did it much more frequently in recent months than he'd ever done. But everyone talked to themselves at one point or another. God knew that he'd treated enough patients who had serious issues with talking to themselves. Besides, everyone had their vices and talking to himself on occasion wasn't his only one.

He drank too much (sherry especially, but wine as well), to the point where some might consider him to be an alcoholic, but of course that was far from the case. He drank wine because he enjoyed it. After all, what was wine if not for enjoying? He knew his limit and in times that he went over that limit, he made sure that he was in a safe place. Such was the case the night that he sat, sandwiched between his brother and father in Frasier's living room, watching as Daphne gave her heart to another man.

That night… that horrible night, against Frasier and his father's wishes, he'd driven home. And when he arrived, he poured himself a glass of sherry, consuming it in one gulp. And then he poured another, and another until the room was spinning so violently that he collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep. He awoke hours later, late into the next afternoon with a horrific hangover and the painful reminder that Daphne was engaged and would never be his.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE, I'M COMING!" He shouted as the knocking seemed to go on and on and on. Quickly he cinched the belt of his dark blue robe making sure that it was tied securely enough. And he hoped that whoever was at the door would not recognize it by sight. For even he was not aware until after he'd purchased it from an online retailer that it was not a robe designed for men but rather for women. When he received the robe in the mail, and made the horrifying discovery, he was absolutely appalled and immediately contacted the merchant to give him or a piece of his mind. Yes, that's exactly what he had done.

"You sent me the wrong damn robe!" he shouted into the phone. He was immediately put on hold and his hand ached from holding the receiver to his ear. For the rest of his life he vowed that he would never listen to any version of the classic song _"The Nearness of You"_ ever again. For, in the insane amount of time that he was on hold (it felt like hours), the song played on perpetual repeat until at last someone with an accent that he could barely detect answered the phone.

After moments of arguing with the woman to no avail, he simply gave up. Putting forth the effort to return the robe and wait for a refund was simply not worth his time and energy. That night when he reluctantly wore the robe for the first time, he was hit with the shock of his life. It was the most comfortable robe he'd ever worn. The silky satin was luxurious but not overly so and the fit was perfect. As he admired himself in the full length mirror that hung in his closet, he realized that it would take a trained eye to tell that the robe was not designed for a man. He'd never, of course, show it to Frasier or his father (they were sure to catch on), but what other people didn't know wouldn't hurt them, should they happen to see him wearing the robe. But even that scenario was highly unlikely.

As though he needed reminding, the doorbell began to ring and ring. Apparently the intruder (or visitor) had grown weary of knocking and for that he was appreciative. But the ringing soon brought on a headache, which in turn made him angry that he'd been awakened in the middle of the night.

He marched to the foyer, his hand poised on the doorknob. "Look Mrs. Bennet, I'm sorry if the ocean noise from my sound machine is disturbing you, but I've told you time and again that I simply _cannot_ sleep unless I-."

He thrust the door open and froze, unable to believe what he was seeing. Or rather, _whom_ he was seeing. For there, standing before him in his hallway, was not the annoying woman from next door.

It was his angel.


	2. Chapter 2

He was so stunned that he could barely speak. And when he did, he found it difficult to say her name. "D-Daphne?"

When their eyes met, her expression revealed that she was as nervous as he. "H-hello, Dr. Crane."

"What are you doing here?" The question had an edge to it, for which Niles immediately regretted. And instantly he softened his tone and opened the door wider. "I-I mean… Please… come in."

She'd barely taken two steps inside his home when the scent of her perfumed hair began to waft in his direction. He took a moment to steady himself and then carefully helped her removed her coat, hanging it neatly in the coat closet.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane." She said. "I'm so sorry to wake you in the middle of the night like this, but I desperately need to talk to someone."

A mixture of elation and confusion filled him, for Frasier was always willing to talk to Daphne if she had a problem and Niles was almost positive that Frasier was at home, so why hadn't Daphne come to him first? Perhaps she had, and Frasier was of little help to her. But nonetheless, the fact that she'd taken it upon herself to drive all the way across town alone to see him at the Montana spoke volumes. Whatever she was going through was obviously something very painful. At once his heart went out to her and he vowed to help her in any way he could. It wasn't ethical for him to act as a therapist, but as a friend, he was more than happy to give her any advice that would help.

"Well, I've told you before Daphne, that you're welcome here any time, um... day or night, just say the word."

"That's very sweet of you to say, Dr. Crane. You're such a good friend and that's why I wanted to see you so badly."

He could feel his face flush from the compliment and he felt a bit dizzy. But luckily he was able to steady himself. "T-thank you, Daphne. I value your friendship too and I want to help you. Just let me-."

When she shivered, he felt a sense of remorse. "Oh Dear God, you're freezing!" That was an understatement, as he suddenly realized just how cold it had become in the apartment, which meant that the temperature outside must have been frigid. It worried him, wondering how long she'd been standing there before she decided to come into the building. "Come with me, Daphne." He said quickly as he ushered her to the fainting couch.

"I-I'm fine." She said. "I-I just…"

"Daphne you're shivering!. And your teeth are chattering!" When he touched her forearm in the gentlest way possible, he was shocked at how cold her skin was. Even with her coat on, she had to have been miserable. "Please, come here and sit on the fainting couch. I'll start a fire and make some hot chocolate. Or would you prefer tea?"

She did as he asked, smiling as he hurried to the hall closet and removed a wool blanket from the top shelf. He was beside her in an instant, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders.

"Dr. Crane, I didn't mean for you to go to all of this trouble for me."

"It's no trouble at all." He said truthfully, even though the words were spoken a bit too quickly. And before she could protest, he went to the fireplace and opened the glass doors, inserting pieces of firewood one by one. The strike of a match and a crumpled newspaper, ignited instantly, creating a perfect flame. He felt the warmth of it instantly. Or perhaps the warmth was that of his beautiful, yet unexpected guest.


	3. Chapter 3

"It should be warmer in a few minutes." He said, quickly closing the doors. "Now, what was it that you-Oh heavens! I completely forgot! Would you like some hot chocolate? Or tea?"

"Tea is fine, thank you."

"I'll be back in a moment." He assured her. "What kind of tea would you like, Daphne? I have Earl Gray, Darjeeling-"

"I don't want tea!" She said, stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh, all right. Well then I can make some hot chocolate. It will only take-."

"No, I-Actually _yes._ I mean _no_! But _yes_."

His eyebrows rose. "I'm not following you."

"I don't know what's wrong with me head tonight. Yes, some tea would be lovely, Dr. Crane. But nothing with caffeine in it, please. I have enough trouble sleeping as it is."

The comment concerned him and he sat down beside her, his heart racing as he took her hand and stared into her eyes. "Daphne, are you all right?"

"Well, I-."

"Of course you're not all right. What's wrong with me? If you were fine you wouldn't be here right now."

Her worried eyes met his. "I-I don't know how to say this."

"You can tell me, Daphne. I promise that whatever you say will remain between us. I won't tell a soul."

He shivered slightly when she smiled sadly and squeezed his hand. "I appreciate that, Dr. Crane. I really do."

"Well, thank you. I-." He swallowed hard, watching her rub her arms and he gasped softly. "Dear God, your tea! I'll be right back." He was on his feet within seconds, heading for the kitchen. But he paused at the door and smiled at her. "Daphne?"

"Yes, Dr. Crane?"

"Each blend is herbal so there's no need to worry about caffeine. I'll bring you a pot of water and the selection that I have so that you can decide."

In the kitchen, he put on a pot of water to boil and took a moment to collect himself. It was like a dream come true, being here, in his home, alone with Daphne. Her showing up unannounced, asking for his help with whatever was bothering her touched him deeply. Were he not so concerned about her well-being, his heart would be pounding with elation.

Suddenly realizing that he'd left her alone in the living room, he quickly went to join her. "The water should be boiling soon. Can I get you anything else? Some fruit or another blanket perhaps?"

"No, I'm fine." She said. But the way she shivered violently told him that she was not fine at all. He was on his feet, retreating to the guest room where, in the small closet, he found another blanket, which he carefully unfolded and brought to her.

"Here you are." He said, draping the blanket around her shoulders. It brushed against her hair, making him dizzy from the wonderful scent that wafted under his nose.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. That's very nice. As I said before, I'm sorry for not calling first. I know it's late, but-."

"Oh, it's all right. I was awake." He lied, praying that he'd be spared, just this once, from the impending nosebleed that always followed an untruth. And as he expected, Daphne didn't believe him in the least. She knew him much too well, most likely better than he knew himself.

"You look exhausted, Dr. Crane. And I'm so sorry that I woke you up. I know that I shouldn't have come, but I-." To his horror, her sweet voice broke, causing him further alarm.

"Daphne, what is it?"

"I-didn't have anywhere else to go!"


End file.
